WHETHER we like it or not, Newcastle United will always be considered underdogs when facing big-spending Chelsea.

And as long as United stick to their stringent financial plan, you can’t walk away from places like Stamford Bridge and feel too surprised when the black and whites are turned over, like they were on Saturday night.

The Geordie fans clearly understand why Newcastle have chosen the path they have.

But envy was just a natural feeling as the European champions went about their business in west London with their Champions League-winning line-up of superstars.

That appeared to be evident when the Toon Army chanted the name of Alan Pardew at the end of the game.

They can see that Pardew has done excellently to lift United to the heights they are at on a limited budget, and with many of the players that were playing in the Championship just three years ago.

So nobody was going to get into too much of a tantrum at not beating Chelsea for the second time this year.

Not many expected Newcastle to turn up and pull off a 2-0 win like they did back in May.

Without taking anything away from United that night, it came when Roberto Di Matteo was targeting Champions League and FA Cup glory, mainly to earn the manager’s job full-time.

A more energised Chelsea are now trying to set down a Premier League marker to the two Manchester clubs to try to gatecrash the party at the top.

They’ve started the season like a steam engine and the black and whites, many of them fresh from a journey back from Greece the day before, were never fancied to stop them in their tracks.

Comparisons between the Blues and Newcastle are like comparing night and day.

Chelsea paraded Cesar Azpilicueta and Victor Moses before the game with the Blues splashing out £15.5m in order to get Roberto Di Matteo’s team ready for a title challenge.

Those two transactions are part of more than £80m pumped into the squad this summer by Di Matteo’s paymasters, who feel this is the minimum needed to genuinely challenge for the top four upwards.

By comparison, United have brought in Vurnon Anita for around £6.2million as well as cut-price youngsters Gael Bigrimana, Curtis Good and Romain Amalfitano – with none of the latter three getting on the pitch on Saturday.

If it stays this way before the window shuts at the end of the month, Newcastle will do very well to finish in the top eight.

But back to Saturday evening on a rain-sodden surface that left Fabricio Coloccini and his troops soaked and frustrated.

Football results aren’t always about who has spent the most money.

Yet when you have £50m striker Fernando Torres and fellow big-money buy Eden Hazard to help you along your way on nights like Saturday, you don’t have to hit top gear.

The fact Chelsea beat United won’t come as much of a shock. It always going to be a tough task for Newcastle against the London outfit in more ways than one – and we’re not just talking financial terms.

True, only Anita and Papiss Cisse stayed in the starting line-up from the trip to Athens for Thursday night’s fixture.

And while Fabricio Coloccini, Hatem Ben Arfa and Demba Ba didn’t even travel to Greece, most of the squad had endured three days of scorching 39 degrees heat, a two-hour time difference and a four-hour plane journey back.

Even Chelsea officials – who’ve done their fair share of travelling in Europe – felt that playing the game on Saturday was harsh on Newcastle.

And so it proved.

After a heavy pre-match downpour on a soaked pitch, United absorbed everything that Chelsea threw their way for 20 minutes.

Perhaps a little jaded from Athens, Anita stuck out a leg and Torres didn’t need more of an invitation to go down in the box.

Big-spending Chelsea don’t need favours to see off most teams in the Premier League.

But they were handed a gift-wrapped one here.

Was Hazard ever going to miss in front of the Shed End? Sadly he wasn’t but at least Newcastle showed some resolve to have a go back at their better-off hosts.

Cisse and Ba, who didn’t get the greatest service on the night, had efforts but nothing really fell their way.

Ben Arfa dazzled in his usual fashion and was easily the best performer wearing black and white.

But that wasn’t enough. Nowhere near enough, in fact.

Hazard sparkled again when he picked out Torres who dinked home a second to extend the Londoners’ lead.

That wasn’t quite game over but it left Newcastle with a mountain to climb.

Ba and Ben Arfa looked the most likely for the Magpies, chances came and went but the same could be said for Chelsea.

In the end 2-0 was just about the right scoreline on the balance of play. With tired legs and tired minds, you got the feeling Newcastle players just needed a night or two in their own beds.

Another big week lies ahead but the comforts of home could have us all feeling a lot better about life this time next week.

And progress to the Europa League group stages by seeing off Atromitos and victory over struggling Aston Villa would mean that Chelsea will be quickly forgotten.